| Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students face harassment and discrimination at the hands of their teachers, administrators, and classmates in their schools. However, for sexual minority children and their allies, one of the leading remedies for the homophobia in the school environment is the sexual minority student organization frequently called the Gay-Straight Alliance or GSA. This project followed one affluent, suburban, public high school in its effort to establish a Gay-Straight Alliance as an official organization. In the process, the GSA encountered challenges and support, and in the end it was established as an official organization in the high school. This participatory action research project documented the successes and difficulties the founding members of the organization encountered toward the establishment of official status.;In addition to the action research portion, this project was also a comprehensive examination of my leadership as one of the founding faculty members of the GSA. It was my goal to examine my leadership through both qualitative and quantitative means to see to what extent I exhibited the qualities of a social justice leader, a political leader, a transactional leader, and a transformational leader, and to what extent my leadership helped or hindered the formation of the GSA. |
